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Oklahoma Crossings
by Johnny Holland
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1455 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2004-06-13 |
78,258,176 bytes |
71 |
7312 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
LINKS |
Okla.Crosssings2003.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 12cbc3f49bd741859d72bde893a300ef |
d69ff29dec8e874951e92a897913e3ea |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by: Chuck Clark
Background: This is a P2P course available at apcd-courses.com. The designer, Mr. Holland, has previously released 3 free courses here at Links Corner. These courses were interesting to say the least. One of them (Outworld) was a nine hole course along the lines of Midnight; it was a course you played on at night. Sandlot Shores was a borderline Fantasy course played amongst cactus, rocks and ocean inlets. The third was a full-on fantasy course with huge cliffs and waterfalls. This was quite an interesting collection to say the least. Oklahoma Crossings is a fictional course set in the American Midwest just outside of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Here is some more information from the read-me:
' By setting the course in my hometown of Oklahoma City it gave me the opportunity to use what I've seen and experienced from playing golf here. Everything from the terrain, vegetation, wildlife, and even the sounds and colors where taken and incorporated into this rugged untamed golf course called Oklahoma Crossings.'
Overall Impression: This is a beautiful and well done course with an unusual look and feel. The textures, planting, sounds and pano make you really feel like you're in Oklahoma. Unlike the earlier courses done by Mr. Holland this course is very subtle and playable. As you would expect in Oklahoma this course is very level to the point of being almost flat. That's not to say that there isn't any mounds or swales because there is; but the overall elevation change across the course is minimal. There are a number of bunkers, ponds, and dirty looking creeks in play; but the course can be had if you're hitting it pretty straight. The greens are fairly large but they have lots of humps and valleys in them. Playing to the correct part of the greens is important here at OC.
The hole previews all pay tribute to a different Native American tribe; with a short note on each hole. I would have liked to have seen a bit more information about the course on these previews; the par and hole-number were not included. And to be honest I thought the endless history lesson on atrocities committed against Native Americans to be a bit over the top (especially for a pay course). Almost every hole preview documents how that tribe was forced from their lands and moved to a reservation. But I guess that Mr. Holland feels strongly about this subject; or he wouldn't have done the previews the way he did.
Playability/Shot Values: A very playable golf course. This course is more subtle than most; I would think you will need a number of rounds here to really get a feel for the truer strategies and difficulties involved. It's pretty level, but there are a number of different types of hazards to avoid. There are three types of bunkers, some dried up looking ponds and some muddy creeks. If you stray off the fairways you won't get behind many trees; but you will find lots of high grasses, flowers, rocks, rattlesnakes (yikes!) and the occasional teepee! The large greens (as mentioned above) are one of the primary defenses. I would recommend that you play with higher winds here to really get the appropriate feel and playability.
Visuals: Really looks like Oklahoma (or other similar type areas of the American Midwest). The sparse and level plains of Oklahoma are captured quite well by Mr. Holland. The pano shows some tall buildings in the distance; which looked a bit blurry to me. But when you consider the heat and humidity of Oklahoma in the summer; that's probably what it really looks like when you see those buildings from a distance. The planting is very well done with sparse prairie like grasses, rocks, and a few trees. There are also some nice additions like teepees and small bridges.
Technique: The technique on display here is very good to almost perfect. I really couldn't tell you of one imperfection or error. The blending techniques were very well done. The rattlesnake sound was a bit too pervasive in my opinion; but that's neither here nor there. There were some inconsistencies to the bunker designs and edges; but I guess this was mostly by design. I know the designer was attempting to emulate his area around Oklahoma, so he was constrained by that type of terrain; but the course is a bit too flat for my taste. I always like to play a course with a bit more definition.
Favorite Hole: My favorite hole is the 12th. This is a baby dog-leg to the left, 365 yard par 4. Although it's only about 305 yards to the front edge of the green from the back tee; your best play is with an iron or fairway wood out to the right. This leaves you with a short-iron uphill second shot to a plateau-like green. The planting and bunkering on this hole are very pretty and the hole is very fun to play.
Summary: A beautiful and well done fictional course set in the American Midwest. I heartily recommend it to anyone who can afford it. The only proviso I would include would be if you tend to like more wild and crazy types of golf courses; or ones with lots more elevation changes then you may want to stay away. But if you decide to purchase this course I don't think you'll be disappointed. Oh, and watch out for those rattlesnakes!
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, heathland course. |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 9/10
Golf on an Indian reservation? Well, not quite, but thanks to Johnny
Holland's fervent imagination this is as about as close as you'd get. The
Native American theme runs closely and passionately on this beautiful
track, which is set on apparent wasteland, with the city apparent on the
horizon. It's a brave decision to base the course on landscape that is
mostly fairway; unplayable lies are few and far between, even with some
acutely-placed trees and drying-up mudholes. Most of all, an astute sense
of what constitutes good golf more than makes up for the lack of immediate scenery and the (mis-)perception that the course may be
quite easy. |
Appearance 9/10
I can't honestly say I'm fond of the speckly textures; the contrast between foreground and middle-ground was far too obvious. But the
blends are utterly seamless, and the beauty of the water features and custom planting is up there with the best. |
Playability 10/10
You're generally assured of a good, if not very good, round at one of Johnny Holland's creations. Oklahoma Crossings is an
understated pinnacle of his art. Every shot will make you think, even if you don't realise that you're having to think. There's a mix of
genuinely convincing strategies, and yet the course as a whole is never less than believable. Perfect. |
Challenge 7/10
Now, it has to be said that Oklahoma Crossings will never win any difficulty prizes. But don't go getting the ideas that it's a pushover,
just because it's mostly fairway and offers you many bail-out areas. This course would still lend itself very easily to matchplay, as
bogies are rare and the real winners will be forced to shoot under par. |
Technical 10/10
Even given the odd close-up view of some of the textures, the construction of this course cannot be faulted. It's rare indeed that
someone can bring such a sense of location to an APCD design, but in this instance Johnny Holland has done just that. Such things as
the water features and the few scrubby grasses are done with a precision and sense of style which has not been surpassed. |
| Overall |
The designer's masterwork. Many Johnny Holland courses are an acquired taste.
This one, quite simply, should just be acquired. |
45/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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